


"Tin lak ukh vod gobekin…Zazhelekal"/"You are all I want...Traveler"

by usagiru



Category: No Man's Sky (Video Game)
Genre: Interspecies Romance, Other, non binary character
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-12
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-09-08 03:00:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8827879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/usagiru/pseuds/usagiru
Summary: A lone traveler awakens on an unnamed Planet. Needing to form their own base and begin the adventure of logging every possible living thing, they need to first hire a local alien to help command the Sciences Station at their base.The only roaming alien presence in this traveler's system are the Korvax. Not knowing any of their language, the traveler struggles to break ground, until they meet with one Korvax entity that is a professional in Sciences and Math...and speak their language.This is the story of a Human and a Korvax.





	1. 1: Awaken

**Author's Note:**

> [The main character is Non Binary and WILL NOT have a gender. I have made it this way as to let the reader imagine either a gender or no gender at all for the MC at will.]
> 
> [This entire story will be in a Creative universe from No Man's Sky.] 
> 
> [Later chapters WILL INCLUDE mature themes such as sex and violent scenes. There will be no rape or non-con in this story.]
> 
> [The relationship is between MC and a Korvax Entity. This is a slow burn story.]
> 
> [Chapters may be few and far between, but I will see it until the end, thank you!]

“Life signs nominal.”

 

….

 

“Depressurization in effect.”

 

….

 

“Forty precent depressurized.”

 

….

 

“Sixty precent depressurized.”

 

Both of the intrepid traveler’s eyes opened slowly. 

Surrounded by a viscous green liquid, bubbles floating wistfully around their head.

 

“One Hundred percent depressurized. Opening hatch.”

 

The feminine voice echoed through the filled tub. After a few long seconds, the upper glass doors slid open from the sides. Letting the liquid empty out from the tube, the traveler finally sat up.

 

Not expecting the harsh first breath of Oxygen, the traveler started sputtering instantly, gasping for air and coughing violently. Their eyeballs about to pop out of their sockets as their body attempted to adjust to the air around it.

Frantic to gather their bearings, they rolled out of the tube onto the soft ground. Surrounded by blue grass and brightly colored foliage blowing in the breeze, the traveler had their hands tightly grasped around their neck. A few hard coughs and deep gasps later, they got onto their hands and knees and vomited the rest of the liquid left in their stomach cavity. The traveler promptly collapsed onto the ground, surrounded by mysterious liquid and bodily fluids.

 

The air was a warm welcome to the traveler’s stark naked body. With a few moments basking in the close proximity Star’s heat, they finally attempted to stand on their own two feet.

 

Wobbly was the least you could say about the human’s first time putting weight onto their legs. A few seconds were all they could hold before falling right onto their behind.

The traveler huffed at the small defeat so early in journey. Looking over at the tub they were in just moments ago, they saw that the side vents had opened. The rest of the liquid was drained out leaving the capsule empty.

Crawling over slowly back to the capsule, the inside was lit up. The bed was a cushy black leather material surrounded by screens of life signs, now flatlined.

 

A thought clicked though their mind and before they could comprehend what it was, their hand went to auto pilot. Pressing a medley of buttons in a code before finally scooting away to let the pod open even further. Steam filtered out from the bottom of the pod before lifting slightly and sliding down all the way, opening the bottom hatch.

Inside were clothes, technology, and one packaged handheld device looking akin to a tablet.

Taking the clothes, the traveler slowly dressed. First, putting on the underwear and the compression tank then fitting the all over body suit. It was rough to shimmy the legs and waist through but, in due time, the entire bodysuit fit snugly onto the traveler’s body. A quick clasp of the buttons and pads, the suit itself started to compress. The black matte binding around the traveler’s neck tightening as not to let any outside air filter into the suit.

Taking a deep breath, they tried to stand up again. 

 

Slowly…

 

Easy as they could take it, slow and steady.

On two feet, the traveler stood in one spot for a while. The muscles in their legs pumping with blood. The bones popping every other minute. It was excruciating to say the least. The traveler knew, nonetheless, that this had to be done. Somewhere in the back of their mind, they knew.

 

Thirty minutes pass. The traveler takes a step. Then another.

Then another.

 

They take a couple of slow laps around the pod. After the third lap, the walking becomes a bit more stable. Taking in this new world around them, they continue walking. The bright blue grass felt…alien. Why would it be..

This was the first time they ever even seen foliage. The sky and the land.

The traveler could not remember anything prior to the launch of the pod…

 

They kept walking, strides more confident. Flexing their arms and raising them over their head, they rolled their neck as to loosen up the vertebrae. 

 

“A-ahh..”

 

The first sound emitted from the traveler’s mouth finally. It was broken and cracked. Weak and sounded like they needed to drink ten glasses of water to fix it.

 

“Ah, Ee, Uhh…Eh, oh…”

 

Sounding out the vowels of the English alphabet, they repeated the steps over and over. Only until the cracking in the back of their throat faded, did the traveler return back to the pod.

 

At the bottom was the still packaged handheld device. In a stark white box, only the image of the tablet on the front. Picking up the package revealed no further information. On the back was an odd logo, a black diamond like prism. A lone red orb in the bottom right.

 

“No Man’s Sky Project…”

 

The words slowly flowed from their mouth. How…

 

Flipping the package back over, they promptly ripped the plastic off and opened the box. Inside was a rather modest sized tablet wrapped in frosted plastic.

 

Taking out the tablet showed more paperwork detailing the product further. The traveler let the box sit on the ground for now as they unwrapped the tablet.

 

There were a few buttons. On at the bottom and a few on the side. One lone button on the top with a dash indent through it looked like a power button. The traveler held it down for a few seconds, hoping for a response.

 

The screen lit up, still black but obvious that it was booting up. The same logo seen on the back of the packaging slowly faded into view, this time the red orb  floating around inside the black prism like object.

 

This boot up sequence carried on for a few minutes. Assuming the initial start up was the product’s first, it was writing important data.

 

[START UP COMPLETE]

 

The text suddenly appeared on the screen. The traveler waited in anticipation for what would come next. Any type of communication would be nice or even just a sense of direction.

 

[PLEASE ENTER NAME OF TRAVELER]

 

The text lingered on the screen for a few seconds. A text box came into view under the prompt soon after followed by a keyboard lifting up from the bottom of the screen.

 

“N-name…”

 

“My name….”

 

The traveler did not know their name.

 

Trying not to panic, they looked around the screen for an alternative. Swiping right on the screen did away with the keyboard, bringing up a button below the text box.

 

[NAME UNKNOWN]

 

Without thinking, the traveler tapped the button, looking for further answers. The screen blacked out only to bring up two more buttons.

 

[GENERATE NAME]

 

[RETURN TO PREVIOUS QUESTION]

 

“Generate name?”

 

This only raised further questions. How come they couldn't remember their own name? It wouldn't do any good to stress out further and jeopardize themselves about it, though.

 

The traveler slowly tapped the Generate button, half hoping for something decent. Anything would do, in the end. Something to address themselves by and to write on reports.

 

[GENERATING]

 

[PLEASE WAIT]

 

A loading prompt in the shape of the prism logo appeared at the bottom. The red orb inside spinning around in a calm circular motion. This carried on for over five minutes.

 

[WELCOME, DELTA]

 

“Delta…”

 

Might need to take some getting used to but… it wasn’t all bad. No last name, but they didn’t feel like they would been needing one any time soon.

 

[PLEASE SELECT GENDER OF DELTA]

 

Scrunching their eyebrows, Delta watched as more prompts came up on the screen. At first two options opened up to them. An option was listed below them, however. “more options”

Partly curious, Delta pressed the button to look for more. Afterwards, the whole page filled with options ranging from “Prime” to “Radical”.

 

“What kind of world is this?” Delta muttered to themselves.

 

Finally after sifting through most of the absurd “genders” available, the finally settled on “Non applicable/Unknown”

 

[PLEASE ENTER PRONOUNS FOR IDENTIFICATION]

 

“This is getting a bit ridiculous…”

 

Another text prompt appeared, with the keyboard appearing once again. Quickly, Delta typed the words “They/Them/They’ve/Their” and pressed the enter button.

 

A few seconds rolled by as the loading prism indicated the tablet hard at work.

 

[TRAVELER: DELTA]

[GENDER: N/A]

[SPECIES: HUMAN]

[AGE: 1]

 

“One? As in years?”

 

[CALCULATING AREA OF SPACE]

 

The prism once again. Delta took the time to look around once again. In the distance, a huge pillar of gleaming ore was present. The sky was a brilliant purple and orange hue. They weren't sure how long they have been trying to adjust to how they are now but it seemed as if the sun were about to go down. There was still so much about this world they did not know. If the night brought blistering cold or not. If the pod would be their only shelter for a long while…

 

[AREA ASSESED]

[STAR SYSTEM: MAUTENHALL-ULUN VI]

[PLANET: UNNAMED]

[SYSTEM ENTITY ENFORCER: KORVAX]

 

“The Korvax? What..”

 

Somewhere in the back of Delta’s mind, they could make out a painted picture of what the Korvax were. Robotic..humanoid…very prude and prideful. Delta has never seen one before in their life, however. How did they know…

 

[UNACCOMPANIED BASE LOCATION IN TWO MILES EAST]

[PLEASE AQUIRE ACCESS TERMINAL AND DOCK DEVICE TO DOWNLOAD INSTRUCTION]

 

After relaying these instructions, a brightly lit map appeared on screen. A pulsing dot signifying Delta’s location. A blue arrow pointed them in the direction they were needed to go.

 

Getting a second wind, Delta looked back into the pod for anything they could take with them. A two mile walk would be do-able, they thought. A few rations wouldn't weigh them down much.

Looking into the pod rewarded Delta with a large box of Ready Meals packed tightly against one another. 

 

“One bag lasts a 12 hours.”

 

Well, if you need to watch your supplies, these sure did it…

 

Delta picked up the box and rested the tablet on top for guidance. Taking one last look at the pod, Delta set out into the blue grass, en route to their new base.

 

 

 

***

 

 

After the first mile, Delta was exhausted. Only a few more meters to go, they kept telling themselves. Rounding over one last hill, Delta made out what looked like a hexagon like structure in the distance. 

 

“The base? Gotta be…”

 

Heaving the box back up to a better position, Delta picked up the pace to make the last stretch to the door.

 

It didn’t take long to reach the rather small building. The door didn’t budge at all once Delta approached. It was getting darker as they tried to knock the door a couple times with their foot, but to no avail.

Stepping down from the ramp, Delta placed the MRE’s on the ground, picking up the tablet. They took the time to finally look down at the screen to see a prompt already replacing the map.

 

[BASE IN PROXMITY]

[OPEN DOORS?]

[YES] [NO]

 

“Argh..”

 

Mentally kicking themselves in the head, Delta annoyingly tapped the “Yes” button. The door in front of them flashed to a bright blue color before shifting open. Delta returned the tablet to the top of the MRE box and picked up the goods to take inside with them.

 

A small table with only two chairs were the only comfort item they could locate. Deciding to place the foodstuffs and the tablet there for now, Delta dusted their hands off and placed them on their hips, looking around at the interior of the new base.

 

It was dark, to say for one…

 

A few facilities were in front of them, they didn’t recognize what to do with any of it, however. Remembering back to the prompt on the tablet, Delta quickly straightened up and scanned the room for anything that looked like a tablet dock.

The only thing was a rather desk like looking center with a large screen attached. Grabbing the tablet, Delta made their way over and promptly slotted it into the perfectly fitted crevice.

 

“It fit…oh!”

 

The screen went to a full white instead of black. The prism logo still prevalent in the middle of the screen. After a few minutes of loading, the words “Welcome To The No Man’s Sky Project” faded into view.

The large screen above the tablet then went white as well. Delta took a step back, bracing for a message. Anything would be helpful at this point.

It took Delta a second to process it, but another human graced the screen in front of them. They sat at a desk, a few papers surrounding them.

It looked like a very old man, dressed in a suit. A bushy mustache garnished on his upper lip. The emotion he held was something akin to gratitude.

 

“Traveler. Thank you. You have made it!”

 

The man sounded extremely sincere.

 

“Welcome to the No Man’s Sky Project. This is the Euclid Galaxy, very far away from your original home.”

 

These words didn’t resonate with Delta. They didn’t even know where their original Galaxy was from. “Very far” could mean a lot or a little depending on the scale presented…

“In our pursuit of intelligent life other then our own, the prospect of actually making contact were astronomical. Not only did we reach out goal of making contact with one species, we succeeded with making contact with three.”

 

Delta gulped at the facts presented, a reality dawning on them.

 

“Your existence in this galaxy is to further friendly human relations among these races and to document your findings of flora, fauna, and knowledge your current Star System holds.”

 

Things were becoming a bit clearer to Delta now.

 

“You may have a lot of questions, and rightly so. To ensure you have all the available information you need, please refer back to your Sky Tablet for relay instructions. In the meantime, we have made many amenities available for you.”

 

The man shifted papers on his desk before bringing now to his face.

 

“Through your tablet and accompanied visor unit, you can craft and build expansions to your base. Basic corridors, cube rooms, and recreational items are provided for free. You may use up to a hundred items at your will. All others will need to be crafted by hand using resources found on current or nearby planets.”

 

“Visor unit?” Delta franticly looked around until they spotted what looked like some elaborate looking googles sitting on a stand next to the screen they were currently watching.

Delta logged the location of the specs away and continued watching the video.

 

“We recommend build your base to your liking and installing a landing pad. From there, you can request your issued ship paid for by The Project. You ship is currently sitting in a Freighter Dry Dock en orbit around your system Star. Upon request of your ship, it will take one Earth Day, Twenty Four hours, for your ship to dock.”

 

That sounded like a good way to get around. Even if Delta wanted to hunker down on this planet they landed on, they couldn’t argue, a ship would make things a ton faster.

 

“As for food and fuel for your ship, all plant life we have currently recorded and logged can be accessed through your “Farming” mode through your expansion menu. Many plants will give you the nutrients and vitamins needed for daily consumption. Then can be ingested in any way, properly cooked or in liquid form. However you are comfortable with, you will survive and thrive on the selected flora available for you.”

 

Delta nodded along with the man. They thought of all the farming that might keep them awake at night.

 

“Certain flora produces Thaumium-9, a vital source of fuel for your ship. If you intend to harbor a space ship, it is recommended to also keep a farm of flora that produces this isotope.”

 

This started to sound more and more simple as the man droned on.

 

“That’s not all, however. In order to even harvest and collect any of these items I have mentioned, you will need a mining tool. You can find one in a lock box provided inside your base. If will also take Thaumium-9 to operate and recharge.”

 

Delta quickly started to look around the room again. They didn’t want to miss any important data the video had to provide, but not knowing where anything was, was stressful to say the least.

 

“Having a steady food supply and a comfortable living space is important for the morale of a living being with a purpose of exploration. We want you to be comfortable and always have a place for you to lay your head.”

 

Delta took up the chair next to the MRE’s and opened a bag. The instructions were simple for heating up food. Delta silently ate their food and listened to the old man talk about protocol and history of the compony and project they were working for.

From what Delta could gather, they were a “Final Man” type scenario. It was just them, out in a random Star System, and they were going to be friends with aliens and log as much data as they could from every planet in said system.

As per the video, it was not just Delta out making the trek. Many men and women alike were bred and shipped out for expeditions such as this.

 

“We humbly thank you for taking up this great honor. We hope you make great relations with many entities and strengthen Human-Alien relationships across these many great galaxies!”

 

The man sat there for a few seconds before the screen turned black once again, the prism logo glowing faintly in the dimly lit room.

 

Delta sat for a few more moments, slowly chewing the final cracker in the bag. Swallowing, they stood up and approached the tablet.

 

[TABLET SUCCESSFULY DOCKED]

[PLEASE ACTIVATE BASE VISOR]

 

Pausing, Delta looked over to the Visor assigned to them. Grabbing it, Delta pulled it over their face. The scenery was no different, but items had a rather grid like appliance to them when Delta ghosted the visor crosshair over them.

Swiping their hand from left to right, up and down, Delta could move through the menu of items provided to them.

Hallways, larger rooms, identical rooms to the one they were standing in, beds, tables, desks, chairs, lock boxes, dressers.

Cracking their knuckles, Delta shifted back to hallways, stopping on a rather aesthetically pleasing window hallway. Extending a hand, then turned in place until it locked successfuly onto an empty wall. Closing their hand into a fist, the hallway materialized and became solid.

Delta took a step back at the marvel. Buildings just becoming made before their eyes was amazing!

 

It took Delta a good dedicated five hours to get their base the way they wanted. Four connected long hallways; a room just for them, a room housing important stations for studies, a trading room with a Galactic Trade Network kiosk installed, and a recreational room complete with a small kitchen and a table with four chairs.

Connected to the Trading Room was one landing pad, the order for Delta’s ship already placed. Outside the main base, Delta placed six box room units together to create a large farm unit. Two of each plant grew inside for a consistent supply of food and fuel.

 

Their work was not done, however. The Science and Agriculture terminals they set up could not be used by them. Delta would have to hire workers to help with them at some point. This could prove difficult, as they didn’t know any alien languages, let alone how to get ahold of any local aliens open for work.

 

Deciding to act on curiosity, Delta referred back to their tablet. A large menu of information was shown to him, complete with a search bar and a microphone icon tacked next to it.

Tapping the microphone, Delta cleared their throat.

 

“How to reach the Korvax species.”

 

The tablet took the time to process the question, speech to text forming Delta’s question into font on the screen.

 

[CONTACT KORVAX ENTITY: DOCK AT LOCAL SPACE STATION]

[CONTACT KORVAX ENTITY: DISCOVER LOCAL TRADING POST BASE ON PLANET]

[CONTACT KORVAX ENTITY: INSTALL LANDING PAD AND ALLOW KORVAX TO DOCK FOR TRADE]

 

The list ended there. There were more than one ways to get into contact with with this species, Delta was just going to have to put in the work.

With more hands on at the base, they would need to expand the sleeping quarters. Sharing a room might not be what the Korvax want to do but, would the Korvax even need to sleep?

This is something Delta would have to see in their own time.

 

Deleting the question and hitting the home button to bring the tablet back to the home screen, the en route timer for Delta’s ship was to arrive in over twelve hours.

Delta removed the visor and placed it back on the dock, exhausted. They looked around and found the hallway with the “01” decal plastered on it. Walking down the short but scenic path to their quarters, Delta shed themselves of the issued suit, setting it on the small table they made for themselves. Removing the tank binder from their chest and laying it on the table next to the suit, Delta then fell onto the rather firm bed, bones and muscles aching from the arguably stressful and impossibly long day.

It didn’t take long until sleep over took the young traveler, not even finding time to make it under the covers.

The low hum of the solar powered central heating lulling Delta into a deep sleep as a frosty weather storm raged outside.


	2. 2: Korvax Point of Interest

The night on the unnamed Planet droned on for what seemed like forever. Delta was so far gone in sleep, they didn’t realize it. Even though they only had a few memories of being in the pod; most of those memories being crawling out of it, the bed they were laying in seemed like a cloud.

 

_‘THUNK_ ’

 

A large thump like disturbance shook the whole base. Groggy, Delta opened their eyes slowly, leading the pupils towards the nearest window. Tall trees swayed in the breeze from the previous storm. Day break finally came over the horizon.

 

The whirr of the landing pad clicking and oscillating into lock faintly made its way into Delta’s room. They felt their ear twitch at the noise. Their brain fired up.

 

“ _The ship is here!_ ” Delta thought, quite loudly in their thoughts.

 

Even thought they felt like a million rocks in a bag, they shot up out of bed. Grabbing the nearby binder tank and jumpsuit, they hastily put them on. Not feeling like it was necessary  to put the whole jumpsuit on, Delta tied the arm sleeves around their waist and set out.

 

The hallways were short and it was easy to get where you needed to go in the base. In a moment like this, however, they felt like they might as well be a mile long. It didn’t help that Delta’s personal space was the farthest away from the landing pad either.

 

Getting to the outer door, Delta let it open fully before stepping out to see the large ship in it entirety. Quite simple, a red and white design encompassing it. It looked brand new with the way it shone in the still soft starlight.

 

Placing their hands on their hips, Delta looked over the ship in it entirety. Taking the time to walk the perimeter of the entire ship before giving a hearty nod in approval. It was very doable. Multiple storage spaces for trade possibilities, advanced jet propulsion for fast travel, comfortable leather style seating. The fuel tank was full as well, which was a great thing to see.

 

“With this, I guess I could start trying to make contact.” Delta said to themselves.

 

The breeze was comfortable as the still twilight of morning was fading. Delta fond themselves looking back out into the scenery of the Planet, lost in thought. Would they fly until they lucked out with an outpost? Maybe it would be a better bet to just make the jump to the Space Station just a couple thousand kilometers in the sky?

 

“Space Station seems the best… don’t want to waste fuel.” Delta continued to think to themselves. They milked a hearty stretch before scratching their belly in an absent manner. Looking back at the ship, they sported a rather tired expression.

 

“Well, I’m new here so no-one is going to know where I am. I think I can afford a few more hours of sleep…”

 

The allure of sleeping in was strong. So strong, in fact, that they took themselves up on the offer, walking back down the short hallways and falling back onto the bed. Sleep quickly overtook Delta once again.

 

 

***

 

 

“Lifesigns good, fuel good, statistics nominal. Ready to take off.”

 

Delta put in the quadrants of the Space Station into the computer docked into the ship. Fulling suited up to make the long flight into outer space, they were ready to make first contact. Even though they didn’t know a lick of the Korvax language, they were confident they could at least get their hands on some sort of material for study. At the very least, a trade agreement could be formed in the most simple of terms.

 

“Okay… easy does it.” Delta was confident yet wary as the ship lifted off the ground. Slowly it rose into the air. Higher and higher it rose until it started to glide in a random direction.

 

Tapping the location of the Space Station into the on board computer, the ship jerked and began to activate their in atmosphere thrusters. Within a couple of minutes, Delta’s ship finally broke orbit. The purples and blues mixed with oranges blended to form a deep black. Space rock and asteroids came into view. Most were very small but still gave proof of a ring system around Delta’s home planet.

 

As the ship was flying at a nominal speed using thrusters, Delta pulled out a basic notepad and pen from a side compartment of their cockpit. Jotting down random things they saw from the fly by of space rock and other ship flying in the distance.

 

The ships looked very similar to theirs. Perhaps they thought they were one of them…

 

Delta returned the notepad back to the compartment, taking the stick of the controller once again. Even though the ship was on a direct path, a slight push in a certain direction caused the ship to steer there for a brief moment before returning to it’s set path. The HUD on the screen showed an orange icon quite a ways away. The icon itself was larger than the destination they were headed.

 

[SPACE STATION: 5 HOURS AWAY]

 

“No way…Five hours?” Delta groaned.

 

Looking around the cockpit, they remember back to the manual they previously read before jumping in. The Warp Reactor could be used in deep space to transverse systems easily. Objects that would take hours to weeks to approach would take mere minutes depending on distance.

 

Delta located two handles on either side of the steering stick from the middle. Placing both hands on them and gripping down, they then pressed down hard to activate warp.

Delta was thrown back in their seat. Fear overtook them as this was a new feeling of flight. It was bad enough that Delta didn't remember anything from birth to now, but flying through space like this…

 

The force behind the warp in insane. Inside the cockpit, it felt like the collection of metal and polymer materials would fall apart at any second. Soon, the image of the space station came into view.

 

It was a huge structure, almost prism like in structure on the bottom. A huge dome with many lit up windows peppered it. As Delta’s ship got into close proximity, the warp function automatically shut down. Delta released their hands and rested them in their lap in stressed exhaustion.

 

The ship made its way closer to the space station. A large white decal was plastered on the station itself. Many antennas were littered on the top of the station. As Delta’s ship grew closer, the lit windows showed bodies walking back and forth. Some of them were just looking out into the nothingness. The signs of obvious life seemed to fill them with a sort of anxiety. The looming truth that they would have to try to converse with aliens.

 

The robotic vision resumed in the back of their head. Not just one type, but many. Delta never even seen a Korvax before, but…somehow…they knew. They just knew they would look like that.

 

A bright blue light of the docking bay was fast approaching. Choking back a swallow out of anxiety, Delta grabbed hold of the control stick and guided the ship safely into the port. After a couple of seconds of transiting into the docks, the ship locked itself into auto flight mode. Guiding itself into a random empty dock, Delta’s ship finally preformed the final docking procedure.

 

To conserve power, Delta powered down the ship and opened the cockpit bay door. There was wind in the hangar, and their HUD inside their helmet showed signs of oxygen. Taking the risk, Delta removed their helmet to find the air perfectly breathable. This was something comforting to say the least.

 

Delta minded their own business as they climbed out of their ship, the bay doors closing and shutting down until they came back. Clipping the helmet to their hip using the clasp on the edge of the helmet, Delta adjusted the neck on their jumpsuit and finally set out for the far right door of the station.

 

The cargo bay itself was a ghost town. Only a couple of ships were docked, unmoving. Looking out the the exit, a few ships were orbiting the station but not entering. They grouped together in packs of twos or threes. Delta kept walking.

 

The walk to the door was a long one. they passed a ship on their way. It seemed empty, Delta took the time to look at it. Looking up to the cockpit, it seemed like a figure was inside. The frosted polymer glass made it hard to see who it was. They seemed like they were enamored in a device since it was illuminating the inside of the cockpit. Delta decided to keep walking.

 

“ _Shiiink_ ”

 

The doors opened finally. A long hallway was before them but Delta could see the figures of four entity's ahead of them. Swallowing, Delta mustered the rest of the courage they had before walking forward in a confidant manner. The twelve seconds it took to reach the bar like room felt like days.

 

Before Delta was a Korvax. They looked just like they thought. A rectangular screen like robotic head connected to a fully clad in clothing human-like body. They looked completely engrossed in the handheld tablet they were carrying.

 

Looking around, the rest of the Korvax around them were also idly tapping and reading information found on their tablets. Delta felt kind of guilty for not bringing theirs.

 

“Mm-hmm…” Delta cleared their throat softly, yet trying to gain attention.

 

Quickly, the Korvax at the bar looked up. The lights on their interface flashing from a blue to a deep red, then back to blue. It leaned forward to asses Delta before nodding slightly and standing upright.

 

“Zazhelekal…itvaarde.” The Korvax said. Delta stood stone cold in one spot, blankly taking in the unknown words. They sounded like glitched programing but still formed words Delta could understand phonetically.

 

“Ibol vikinoo ine Ibovkar. Ariins.” The Korvax then placed a hand to themselves, in an attempt to introduce themselves to Delta.

 

“Uh..uh..I am Delta.” Delta placed a hand to their chest forcefully. A huge blush was forming on their face as they felt the rest of the the Korvax’s face on them.

 

“Delta? Nirogoc inkangbaserta. Zuhch? Len? Vod shoyu zuhch.” The Korvax emitted a chitter that sounded like a giggle then.

 

Delta couldn’t make out anything they were saying at all. Their hands felt to their sides in defeat, not wanting to make a fool of themselves.

 

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand.” Delta softly said.

 

Taking the hint, the Korvax leaned on one leg more than the other in a slight annoyance. Picking up their tablet, they tapped on a few screen before their right hand began to emit a few LED like lights. Before Delta could comprehend what was happening, the Korvax’s hand gripped the whole of their head. Their thumb and index fingers gripping Delta’s temples.

 

The initial fear from the supposed attack faded as a calm wave overtook them. Information was flowing through their mind, words, translations.

 

Eventually, the Korvax released their hand from Delta’s face. Taking a second to adjust, Delta looked onto the Korvax once again.

 

“This entity is Iboykar. Hello.” The Korvax spoke in it’s native language but, Delta picked it up right away.

“O-oh! I understand! Hello!” Delta was overtaken with happiness. Iboykar tilted their head in confusion at Delta’s outburst.

 

“Unknown Language…” Iboykar’s interface lights flickered slightly, trying to comprehend Delta’s Human English language.

 

Delta finally got it. Iboykar had given Delta knowledge of the Korvax language but, they still didn’t understand the English language. Searching the new knowledge given to him, Delta picked out the right words.

 

“Uh..Ariins! Ibol vikinoo ine Delta. Vod ennits vigradu rusakoidammag, vochiuh.” Delta was shaking at their request. A simple trade agreement between species. With the recourses they were growing and what they could mine and stockpile, they were sure a simple but meaningful trade could be managed.

 

“Hmm, vigradu, sut tin? Ibol ine itvaarde. Yesotska merobayev nokamskyv.” Iboykar then handed Delta their own tablet. A writing prompt opened with a map of the system surrounding the local Star.

 

They were asking for the docking bay location of Delta’s base for trade, further setting up the route they needed. This was going very smoothly and to Delta’s liking. Quickly putting down the longitude and latitude of their base and home Planet, Delta quickly returned the tablet back to Iboykar.

 

Looking over the information, their interface flashed a bright green. Iboykar put a hand to their chest and slightly bowed in gratitude.

 

“High praise, Traveler. Delivery of isotope and oxides for trade. Take this gift.” Iboykar held out a small chip. It seemed to fit perfectly in their tablet back at base. Delta took it gratefully.

 

“Our language. Please become common with this.” Iboykar released the chip with Delta. They then tapped the side of their head with their index finger a couple times at Delta for effect.

 

“Language will leave you soon. Please become common.” Iboykar bowed once again to Delta, who in turn, bowed back.

 

“Amillov payevsk, Iboykar.”

 

Bowing one last time, Iboykar went back to their tablet. The talking ceased for now, the knowledge of the Korvax language still fresh in their mind. Not wanting to waste it, Delta pocketed the chip and walked to the other side of the bar.

 

One great thing about the Universe was that water was water wherever you were. Grabbing a small glass, Delta filled their cup with the liquid and took a sip. It was sweeter than what was on their Planet. Perhaps the minerals in this water were slightly different.

 

Delta was parched, however, and finished the whole glass in one sitting. Placing the glass in the sink next to the dispenser, they turned towards the adjacent room across from the bar. A couple of more Korvax were sitting in the room, conversing with each other.

 

Delta decided to take a chance with them in hopes of hiring a Science professional for their terminal. With a professional Science officer on board, cultivating and understanding the Planet’s composition would become simpler. At this point, Delta’s main goal was to explore, contact, and survive.

 

Along with science and agriculture stations, things like the weapons station wasn’t something they were interested in at the moment. Delta was sure if they needed a new weapon, there would be plenty of trade stations to acquire a new one.

 

Walking into the room, both of the Korvax entities turned to Delta.

 

“Ariins.” Delta greeted.

 

“Hello Human. You are new.”

 

Delta froze. The right most Korvax spoke perfect Human English to Delta just then. They had a more oval shaped screen type head, most of the light placed on the metal around the mouth area. Taking notice of Delta’s shocked face at the perfect English, this screen lit up in an array of colors in amusement.

 

“You seem surprised that I know your language, Human.” the Korvax spoke.

 

By this time, the other Korvax they were speaking with had since went back to their tablet. The English speaking Korvax had turned completely to meet with Delta.

 

“Uh, yeah. I’m supposedly millions of kilometers from my home world…this is a bit of a surprise.” Delta scratched the back of their head in embarrassment.

 

“Well, you are not the first of you kind I have met. Over the years, I have upgraded to learn your language through other Korvax that have settled with Humans. The popular language is English.”

 

“Upgrade…Like a central net?” Delta pressed for information.

 

“Yes, we can exchange information and download information at will from others. I took priority over foreign languages. I am fluent in both Vy’keen and Gek; as well as English, Mandarin Chinese, Russian, and French.” The Korvax stood up at this point and took a couple of steps to meet with Delta face to face.

 

They were wearing stark black clothes, a jumpsuit type outfit, lined with blue accents. The screen head they wore was dinged and scratched in obvious signs of wear and experience in the wild. They stood very confidently, by the way they spoke, also hold themselves in high regard.

 

“I am Baykop, a Mathematician Entity. Nice to meet you.” Baykop held out a hand for Delta to shake.

 

“Delta, nice to meet you too.” Delta shook Baykop’s hand for a good few seconds. They felt good about this turn of events.

 

What luck, Delta was thinking to themselves. What were the odds they would run into a Korvax that took the time to even care about the exact language they spoke.

 

“Actually, I would like to extend a job your way.” Delta took notice of Baykop’s profession. 

 

At the question, baykop’s lights flickered yellow, head cocking to the side.

 

“You are requesting my assistance? What would it be?”

 

“I have a base set up on an unnamed Planet in this system, a Science Station unmanned. In return for lodging, protection, and food; I would humbly request you to work with me?” Delta was busting their ass to sound as professional as possible.

 

“You have a Science Station? I accept!” Baykop sounded quite excited at Delta’s offer.

 

“Huh? Really? Great!” Delta was rolling with it. Any further questions might jeopardize what he had built. Something like this would not come around again.

 

“To be honest, my life so far has been dismal. I travel from system to system, docking at stations when tired searching for something that even the greatest Korvax can’t even find. Something like this will take my mind off The Atlas.” Baykop crossed their arms while explaining.

 

“The Atlas?”

 

“You know not of The Atlas? Perhaps this would be a discussion at your base, when we are settled.”

 

Turning back to the other Korvax they were sitting with, Baykop skittered something in their language before grabbing their own tablet and pocketing it.

 

“I’m guessing you gave your coordinates to Iboykar in the front? I’ll gather them and meet you at your base tomorrow. I already paid for a night here on the base and there’s a no refund policy I’m afraid.” Baykop relayed, a hand on their hip in annoyance.

 

“Uh, that’s good anyways, I’ll have to install more landing pads anyways for trading.” Delta said, blushing slightly.

 

“True, setting up a trade agreement is smart, but be sure you have ample space for ships to land. You can install a separate pad in a far corner of your base area, I will park there.”

 

“Roger! I’ll get on that and it’ll be ready by tomorrow. Thank you for accepting my offer.” Delta bowed deeply in gratitude.

 

Bowing back, Baykop added a small nod before sitting back down.

 

“See you soon, Delta.” waving, Baykop soon went back to the conversation with the other Korvax.

 

 

***

 

 

Feeling hundred's of times better about the trip to the space station, shortly after docking Delta leaped out of the ship and tore off the helmet. Running inside the base, then placed the helmet on the nearby table and donned the visor, booting up the base building program.

 

There were plenty of places to put more docking platforms, installing three more to every entrance that didn’t have a door. Delta then connected those bays to another cylinder room, adding a table and some chairs. A Galactic Trade post and drop down science terminal screen for news and information felt like a great way to set up a recreational room of sorts.

 

Finally, Walking outside, a faint blue outline showed Delta the limits of the building they could go. There was a barren patch in the back corner of their base area, perfect for Baykop’s ship. Installing the last landing pad, Delta removed the visor. Everything was in it’s place, finally.

 

Walking back inside the base, Delta grabbed an MRE from the open box, not yet put away. Preparing the food took a few minutes but they finally settled down for the night, eating in silence.

 

“ _beepbeepbeep beepbeepbeep beepbeepbeep_ ”

 

What! A sharp beeping came from the tablet and monitor terminal. Looking up in bewilderment, Delta then approached the origin of the noise with caution.

 

[INCOMING TRANSMISSION: MATHEMITICAN ENTITY BAYKOP]

 

“It’s Baykop! This was quick.” Delta found themselves speaking aloud. Tapping the [accept] button, the upper wide screen filled with Baykop’s computer like face.

 

It seemed like they were sitting in a room of sorts, a bed and table with chairs were visible. The window behind them was filled with stars and the dark black of space. Baykop waved lightly, the lights on their helmet pulsing a soft blue.

 

“Delta, hello! From your coordinates, I could contact you from your position. Luckly you had a tablet that could be contacted.” Baykop explained happily.

 

“Wow, Baykop! Thanks for getting in touch. You caught me in the middle of dinner.” Delta joked lighty, turning to show the sad box of food and the half eaten meal still sitting on Delta’s side of the table.

 

“Ah, I will not bother you for long then. I just wanted to let you know I am honored to work with you. For a long time, I traveled alone, only talking to those on the same mission as me. Trading with those who only knew as much as I did. Meeting you…” Baykop paused for a second. The completely blank screen of there ace was impossible to read but they turned their head slightly in thought.

 

“Meeting you might give my existence some more thoughtful purpose. I think…” Baykop stopped talking. Looking straight into the camera, into Delta’s soul it almost felt like.

 

“Well, I think we both will benefit each other. I look forward to working with you Baykop. I hope we can keep each other entertained for a while.” Delta mused.

 

Baykop tiled their head in amusement.

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Delta. Good Night.”

 

“Good night, Baykop. Looking forward to meeting you again.”

 

Nodding once more, Baykop ended the call. With the light of the video call over, the screen quickly went to power saver mode, dimming.

 

The dark of the outside mixed with the saturated light from indoors made for a somber feeling. The thought of not eating alone again come tomorrow gave Delta a warm feeling in their chest.


	3. 3: The First Trade of Yabor // Baykop's Arrival

Even though morning came quickly, there were still many events that needed to be done before Delta could welcome their new Base member. Baykop had relayed earlier that they would be landing later in the day but that was still a while from the time Delta actually had to wake up. 

 

Milking the deepest yawn of their life, Delta found themselves in the adjacent box style snap bases. Watering the plants in each of their pods slowly with a bland looking watering can. Each pod was built with a solar like incubator above to promote healthy growth. It seemed to be working since it’s only been two days and sprouts were already coming out of the soft soil below.

 

After having watered all of the plants, Delta placed the watering can by the door. Switching off the lights, the dim UV light nourishing the plants kept the room somewhat illuminated. Delta opened the sliding door and walked outside, slipping the sleeves of the jumpsuit back on and zipping up the front. The morning cold was almost unbearable but luckily the walk back to base was short.

 

Delta quickly found out the Planet they were sacked with was a rather beautiful, paradise like Planet during the day. The temperature swelled well about 80 degrees ferinheight with the trees swaying blissfuly in the breeze. The vast planes of bright blue grass leaned in a general direction as the warm wind traveled between the blades.

 

At night, however, it was Hell on ice. By the time the Starlight went down Delta was snug inside, the Base’s central heating on full blast. They could get a good view of the once dancing trees and grass freezing solid before the windows decided to get a good coat of frost covering them. Luckily, the whole base was covered in Solar Panels, one day serving over a week of power to the base. Even with a complete overcast day, the base could suck up at least a day and a half of power.

 

The morning was no different, but Delta made sure to leave the front door at the first sign of Starlight rising over the hills. At the very sight of light, the frost starts to melt. The grass on the way to the base front doors crunched under Delta’s feet.

 

Even though it had only been two days, the inside of the base gave a familiar feeling. The main chamber acted as the hub since Delta extended the base. Thinking about living in this cramped pod with the other machines didn’t feel good to Delta. Having a decent bed really helped with their morale.

 

The local Star rose quickly. Within the hour of Delta returning to the main base, the sky was already its normal purple and orange mixed with blue. The trees outside started to move and sway again. Pulling an MRE out of the box, Delta situated themselves at the table in the recreational room, fixing their meal quietly. It wouldn’t be long until they ran out of these things. The painfully synthetic meat mixed with snacks of questionable origin was something they had gotten used to, however.

 

Daybreak came.

 

The sights of spaceships flying by began, bringing a strange nostalgic feeling. Perhaps it was just the aesthetics of being a traveler. Quietly eating, the images of ships passing by increased as time went on.

 

In packs of two, in packs of three, sometimes a lone ship would pass by in the sky. The silent sounds of the pulse engines felt calming. Delta almost wanted to lay their head on the table and drift back to sleep.

 

“ _THUUUNK_ ”

 

Delta jumped in their seat. Someone landed on the trading landing pads connected to the base. Trying not to freak out, Delta quietly rose from their seat and walked to the main base pod, booting up the tablet. Flicking through the menus to the mineral reserves output, the only thing Delta’s auto miners were farming were Gold and Aluminum.

 

“I hope this is something they would want…” Delta said to themselves aloud.

 

Lucky enough, Delta’s base was surrounded by cave filled with mineral deposits. The only minerals available, however, were Gold and Aluminum. Very useful in their own right, but all they had at the moment. Once Delta could get the Thaumium-9 output to a great amount, then they wouldn’t have to worry about such a limited trade supply. Fuel and energy sources were something everyone could use and need.

 

Satisfied, Delta unlocked the tablet from the base and carried it on them to the long walk to the Trade Base Pod. It looked similar to the Main Core but was only connected by one hallway. The rest of the exits were connected to landing pads. A convenient Galactic Trade Terminal and a sitting area complete with News Stations was an attempt to make the space welcoming.

 

The door opened swiftly, but Delta found no one inside. Puzzled, they looked around to see if the visitor was elsewhere, but with none to be found. Looking out of the windows, they saw a large ship outside. It was close to the size of Delta’s own ship, if only a bit bigger. The large pods on the side obviously use for trade and cargo.

 

Looking closer, Delta saw the flickering of a tablet illuminating the cockpit of the ship. The Korvax piloting it, hasn’t even left the ship yet. Huffing lightly from their nose, Delta took to the nearby chair, looking out the adjacent window for any signs of movement from the visitor.

 

After nearly ten minutes of waiting, the cockpit finally opened, the single Korvax exiting the pilot’s seat. Jumping out, landing firmly on their feet, the Korvax dusted something idly off their legs before moving to the connecting terminal on the landing pad.

 

Delta watched the Korvax tap away on the pad before their tablet started to light up. 

 

[KORVAX OPERATOR ENTIETY YABOR: LOGGED IN]

[TRADE SUPPLY: CONNECTED]

 

Suddenly, a list of items “Yabor” had for trade came into view. A lot of things were items that Delta had never even seen. Korvax Convergence Cubes, Plutonium, Fascination Beads, Shielding Shards, Sac Venom, Atlas Stone…

It seemed like a medley of items that this Korvax had collected along the way of their journey. Enthralled with the list of items on screen, Delta almost didn’t hear the door open up, letting Yabor inside.

 

Almost in an instant, Delta completely forgot that the gifted Korvax language had escaped them. Only remembering a few words such as a greeting and some buzz words.

 

“Ariins, zazhelekal.” Yabor greeted, slightly bowing their head as they found a seat adjacent from Delta.

 

“Ariins.” Delta greeted back.

 

They both sat in silence for a small bit, both of them staring at each other. It was extremely awkward.

 

“Tous…” Yabor made a motion as if to clear their throat, then rubbing the back of their neck. They looked elsewhere for a moment, then back to Delta, who was sweating bullets at this point.

 

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know much of your language…uhh..o-opolenkur.” Delta tried their best to apologize in their language. The pronunciation sounding off from the last time they spoke it. To be fair, they were given a handicap at that moment.

 

“English…naymmm…..tin lak ilo afimo.” Yabor leaned further on the table, pulling out the tablet from his hip pocket. Tapping a few buttons on the screen, Delta’s own tablet started to blink.

 

Using a quick link connection, both Yabor’s and Delta’s tablet’s linked up. A blank white screen welcomed Delta suddenly.

 

Yabor began to type in their own language, the sentences appearing on Delta’s screen in both Korvax and English.

 

“High Praise, Traveler. This entity’s ship is available for trade.”

 

Understanding quickly, Delta nodded with new found courage. Tapping quickly, Delta formed their own sentences to send to Yabor. Whom of which was sitting quietly, awaiting Delta’s reply.

 

“Thank you! I only have Gold and Aluminum to trade. Neutral items.”

 

The translator took a second to form unknown words into the Korvax language. Once successfully translated, the lights on Yabor’s LED screen flashed with a bright blue. They nodded their head happily.

 

“I will offer units for common resources. Do you want to trade?”

 

Delta thought about the trade for a moment. With Units, they could easily grab helpful items from the Galactic Trade Post. Also, they could trade for more rare items worth holding onto.

 

“I will trade!”

Once again, the LED light blipped a bright blue, Yabor clapping in happiness. With a hand to their chest, Yabor looked Delta directly in the eyes.

 

“Len Payevsk, yattira!”

 

The words translating into “high praise”, a translation of ‘thank you’, was noticed by Delta. They didn’t know what the last word was, but accepted the praise all together.

 

Yabor was tapping on the screen again, typing something out to Delta.

 

“I can use this product. High Praise, friend.”

 

Yattira stood for ‘friend’. A warm feeling settled in Delta’s chest. Only having been in this system less than a week, it seemed that the resident life saw them as a good person.

 

Because all they had to trade was the Aluminum and Gold, they could only part with a bit of it at a time. Until their supplies grew and they could harvest more, they best they could part with was 5% of their stock. This didn’t matter to Yabor, however. They were happy to accept anything to increase their stock.

 

“Negotiation begins. 5000 Units?” Yabor offers.

 

Widening their eyes at the offer, Delta happily accepted. Knowing full well this wouldn’t get them much off the Trade Terminal, after a good month of trade even for this much would land both Delta and the soon to arrive Baykop in a comfortable spot.

 

The trade took no time at all. In a matter of seconds, Delta’s Galactic Balance rose to 5000u. Excusing themselves from the table, Delta conveyed that they would bring a container of product for Yabor to take with them.

 

Delta felt extremely proud of themselves. Being able to speak and trade successfully with their first allied Korvax. Knowing that this trend would continue for, most likely, years to come…

 

Years… would they be there this long? The prospect of passing time didn’t really occur to Delta, as they walked down the long hallways towards the Core doors.

 

Exiting to the warm daylight, the vast cave was dead ahead. Both of the landing pads holding Delta’s ship and Baykop’s place were sitting in between the two entrances. Even from the entrance of the base, the auto miner units were seen hard at work, digging up every last piece of Gold and Aluminum in the area.

 

Crates full of the mined and processed material were stacked up neatly by the entrance. Once the auto miners were filled with resources, they pack it into crates and line it up theirselves. Delta would never know how technology got to the point it is now but, at this point they couldn’t complain.

 

Picking up one crate filled with a medley of both items, Delta nodded their head in content. Heaving it into their arms, they found their way walking back to the base.

 

The sound of an oncoming ship’s pulse engines drew near. Looking up, Delta saw another ship closely resembling Yabor’s approaching from behind them. Next to them, the landing pad next to Delta’s ship started to prime for a landing.

 

“Oh, Baykop is here!” Excitement overcame Delta as they watched the ship slowly land onto the pad. A couple seconds went by as the ship powered down. The cockpit wasn’t darkened and Delta could see the familiar oval shaped head piece that was Baykop.

 

The Korvax looked up from the terminal after shutting their ship down. Noticing Delta looking up at him, Baykop gave a hearty wave in Delta’s direction. In return, Delta gave Baykop a big smile. Heaving the content back into their arms, Delta walked back into the Base.

 

Yabor was still sitting at the table, inthralled with their handheld tablet. Hearing Delta walk into the room, they pocketed it.

 

“Ah, Len Payevsk! Vod push yabysihtagin meysk.”

 

Yabor gingerly took the box from Delta, the lights on their LED screen flashing a medley of blues, pinks, and yellows. They chittered quickly in excitement before bowing one last time towards Delta.

 

As quick as they came, they were gone just as quick. Looking out the window one last time, Delta saw Yabor loading the cargo into one of the small ship’s cargo bays. Once everything was situated, they climbed back into the cockpit and initiated launch.

 

“First trade with a Korvax. Not too bad.”

 

Delta whipped around to find Baykop standing in the Trading Pod with them. Delta was so into the thought of future trades that they didn’t hear Baykop come in.

 

“Baykop, hey. How are you?” Delta made their way over to the Korvax. They shared a good handshake before sitting at the table together.

 

“I am well, thank you for asking. The flight over was calm.” Baykop said, removing the tablet from their pocket and placing it on the table.

 

“That’s good to hear. I’m glad you made it in one piece.”

 

“The base you have here is a good size. How did you build all of this by yourself?” Baykop wondered aloud. They looked around at the few but meaningful facilities in the Trade Room.

 

“I know it’s going to sound weird but, the Base itself has a program to assemble parts of the building instantly. I was provided with a few free materials to expand it the best I could.” Delta explained.

 

“That sounds wonderful. I hope one day Human-Korvax relations grow strong enough for both of our races to utilize this science.”

 

“I agree. In the meantime-“ Delta got up from the chair, motioning Baykop to follow, “I’d like to show you around. I’ll also most likely add onto the base depending on some questions I might have to ask.”

 

“Questions?” Baykop’s head tilted again.

 

“Well, like…sleeping and eating…things like that.” Delta scratched the side of their face with a finger in embarrassment. They didn’t know all what the Korvax race needed in terms of sleeping and eating.

 

“Oh, well I can answer those right now. I’ll accompany you to get a better grasp of this base. It is both of our home now, after all.” Baykop agreed, getting up from their chair as well.

 

“You make it sound like we’re married.” Delta joked lightly.

 

“Marriage…ognitog azyvay…” Baykop mumbled the Korvax words to themselves.

 

“Hmm?” Delta turned back at Baykop’s silent quip.

 

“Uh, nothing! I just didn’t understand the word.” Baykop reassured, keeping up with Delta.

 

“What, marriage? Uh, it’s a human rite of sorts. When two people join in a legal union together. they live together and love each other.” Realizing the awkwardness of the choice of words, Delta began rubbing the back of their head again.

 

“I probably could’ve explained that better but, that is basically what it is.” Delta finished.

 

“Love. This is also used in our language. it is interesting that such simple words mean the same between two species.” Baykop said.

 

Delta nodded their head in agreement as they walked down the long hallway, away from the Trade pod. Coming to a crossroads, they raised their arms to the decals on the wall.

 

“I’ve placed a few numbers down to label what each quarter is. Path four is to the Base Core. It’s also the entrance and exit. Path three is your workstation area. If you want, I’ll also add a connecting square pod for a room complete with a bed and desk area.”

 

“That sounds great, actually.” Baykop said, the lights on their visor blipping yellow and blue.

 

“Sweet, I’ll be sure to add that after the tour then.”

 

The pair kept walking around the base. Baykop familiarizing themselves with the pathways and facilities. Eventually, they stopped at a connected cube room. A ‘5’ decal was plastered next to the door.

 

“This is my room. You can come in if you like.” Delta said before walking though the sliding door.

 

Baykop quietly accepted as they walked in as well. The desk was covered with a day old jumpsuit. The likes of which Delta quickly folded up and placed on the matching chair. the rest of the room was filled with dressers, storage crates and the bed by the window surrounded by two bedside tables. With the tap of a button by the window, the glass dimmed to block the light coming in from the nearby star.

 

“Very simple, I like it.” Baykop noted.

 

“I can make your room that same, if you like.” Delta offered, crossing their arms.

 

“I accept. Thank you.” 

 

Nodding with a slight smile, Delta patted Baykop on the shoulder.

 

“Well, let’s get you to your room then. I’ll meet you over there.” Delta said as they started to leave their room.

 

“Where are you going first?” Baykop asked.

 

“I’ll have to grab the visor from the Core to build your room for you. It’ll be just a second.” With that, Delta left their room entirely. As they made their way to the Base Core, the sounds of Baykop’s footsteps leading themselves to their workspace echoed through the base.

 

This place had been quiet for so long, the light sounds of simply walking felt weird to Delta for a moment. Plugging the tablet back into it’s base, they activated the Base crafting program. Donning the visor, they walked down to the Science terminal area. Baykop was already sitting at the terminal’s chair, their tablet out.

 

“This terminal is extremely advanced. A blend of Korvax technology mixed with your own I believe. Needless to say it’s-….what is that on your head?” Baykop was almost at a loss for words upon looking at Delta. The bright green visor over their face was a sight to behold.

 

“Never mind the visor. I’m here to expand your quarters.” Delta stated and walked by Baykop to the other side of the room. They searched for a compatible spot on the wall before forming it into a short hallway.

 

Baykop was putting their full attention on Delta at this point, as they flipped their hands up and down, side to side looking for the select parts to put down. With a soft ‘thud’, a cube shelter was installed and a door placed on the outside.

 

“Baykop, c’mere for a second.” Delta beckoned from afar.

 

Getting up and pocketing their tablet, Baykop walked into the empty cube room. It looked extremely similar to Delta’s. 

 

“I didn’t know where you would want me to put your things. Your bed and what not.” Delta exclaimed as they looked around.

 

Looking around as well, Baykop pointed to the wall across from them.

 

“How about a window here and the bed in front. Sticking out, perhaps.” Baykop requested.

Turning to the spot Baykop pointed to, Delta began forming the window and the bed quickly and with ease.

 

“Do you want some tables or a desk?” Delta asked.

 

“Yeah, you can make it like your room. I don’t need much, just the basics.” Baykop replied.

 

Taking the hint, Delta made quick work of Baykop’s room. Adding side tables, a small desk area, and finally two storage units for other items. Delta then removed the visor after shutting down the program, holding it in their hand and feeling proud of themselves.

 

“Looks good, doesn’t it?” Delta inquired turning to Baykop for assessment.

 

With their hands on their hips, Baykop looked around the room, nodding their head in approval.

 

“Thank you, Delta. This will be perfect.” Baykop took the seat of the newly made desk and chair as Delta sat on the bed.

 

“I’m not sure how long we will work together, I don’t even know if you have plans to venture out further into the Galaxy like your brethren before you.” Baykop started.

 

Delta picked up the quip Baykop said about other Humans venturing further than their starting home world. They decided to hold the question for later.

 

“Honestly, searching for something that may not even be real had tired me out to my limit. You coming along seems like a blessing in disguise.” Baykop finished, resting their arms on their legs. They seemed thoroughly exhausted.

 

“Are you talking about the Atlas?” Delta asked.

 

Without saying anything, Baykop just nodded their head, the LED lights turning into a soft purple.

 

“What…is the Atlas, exactly?” Delta inquired further.

 

Baykop’s head shot up to look at Delta. The person in question swallowing hard at the sudden change of atmosphere. The purple of the LED light changing to a bright yellow.

 

“The Atlas…is all there is. The answer to everything. A complete central Up-Link to all there is in this life.” Baykop’s head fell again, “And I’ll never find it.”

 

Scooting further towards the edge of the bed, Delta decided to press harder.

 

“I-is The Atlas in this Galaxy? Is that why so many Humans are here as well?”

 

“To tell you the truth, I do not know. Even the Great Nada is out there right now trying to find it and no entity has heard from them or their partner, Polo.” Baykop’s voice sounded soft, in a rather pained way. If they had a face, it would look forlorn, if not complacent.

 

“For years, I searched these Stars for answers. Meeting with anyone who had traveled the Path of The Atlas. Collectors of Atlas Stones…”

 

_‘Atlas Stones’_

 

“Hey! The Korvax that was here just now had an Atlas Stone!” Delta exclaimed suddenly.

 

Looking up again, the lights changed to a deep blood red. The mostly blank screen flickered with red static as Baykop rose from their chair, swiftly approaching Delta. Not liking this change of pace, Delta backed up on the bed, hands bracing themselves as Baykop placed their visor inches away from their face. The static continued.

 

“What did you just say?” Baykop’s voice dropped suddenly. The once regular mono like voice dropped to a baritone like, controlling tone.

 

“U-uhh their name was…Yabor…I think. You came in just as they left.” Delta was shaking. This was completely different from what they thought Korvax would actually be like.

 

“T-they were here for some element…they traded me Units for them…when they logged in, I could see their stock and the Stone was one of the items…” Delta realized was was leaning further and further back against Baykop’s bed as the Korvax pressed further for information.

 

Standing back up in a straight pose, Baykop crossed their arms, bringing a hand up to their chin in thought. Delta sat back up but avoided Baykop’s gaze, thinking they ruined some sort of happy meeting all together.

 

“I’m sorry for pressing you like that…” Baykop finally said.

 

“N-no it’s fine…why though?” Delta asked, finally looking back at Baykop.

 

Baykop sat back down, a static like chitter leaving their helmet in a mode of a sigh.

 

“Atlas Stones are precious keys to further understanding what It is. ‘It’ being The Atlas. With ten Atlas Stones, I can solve the riddle and perhaps learn the true meaning behind it.”

 

“Maybe I should’ve bought it then, I didn’t know it was so precious.” Delta said bashfully.

 

“There’s no way you could afford it. It is priceless and no commodity is worth the trade, even food to a starving Vy’keen.” Baykop deadpanned.

 

“Well, you seem so eager to get your hands on one. They’re so hard to come by it seems, how many more do you need?” Delta asked.

 

Looking out the window, some of the small visible pistons and tabs on their face flicked and whirred, seeming in contemplation or thought. Looking back at Delta, they crossed their arms and sat back in their chair.

 

“I need one more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon, we will see more of Yabor.
> 
> A couple of chapters will follow, adding up to more sensual moments and rather scary ones too.
> 
> I plan to slow burn this fic, but I do not want to exceed over 15 chapters.
> 
> If I happen to do that, perhaps it's because I've driven myself too deep into Korvax Hell.


	4. 4: Station Assistance

The day carried on as normal after Delta and Baykop’s rather strange altercation. The Korvax in question leaving a fact up in the air about how many Atlas Stones they needed, making Delta rather hungry for more answers than they got. The conversation wasn’t making Baykop happy so, out of respect, they dropped the topic for now.

 

The night was approaching quickly again. Still unsure how the seasons and orbit around the Local Star worked, Delta decided to close up Trade early. Locking down the auto landing bays and shutting the Base doors for the night.

 

Since Yabor came to trade, a couple of more Korvax entities also stopped by for small trade items. Delta still only had Gold and Aluminum for trade but instead of just Units, they also received a good supply of edible flora from a nice Priest Entity Korvax passing through.

 

Which is where Delta found themselves now, in the Core Base area in front of the food processor. Looked simple enough, place harvested and cleaned product in one end, receive an edible product out the other. As they were placing a handful of plants in the processing tray, a thought ran though Delta’s mind.

 

_‘Can Baykop even eat this?’_

 

The machine booted to auto mode once a weight limit was reached, leaving Delta to their absent thought. Was there a slot in the mouth area? Do they put it in the top of their head? Maybe a weird stomach slot?

 

Delta stood there, an absent look in their eyes as many eating possibilities ran though their head. A soft but melodic tone rang out as the machine was finished processing the meal.

 

Much to Delta’s surprise, the food was wrapped in a course but flimsy wrapper. Biodegradable by the looks of it. The stark white wrapper had only two words on it, “Food Bar”.

 

Looking inside the machine again, there were five more bars inside. Six in total were made from the handful of plants processed. Pretty damn good for food production.

 

Looking on the back of the wrapper, it listed the ingredients used. The name of the plant was the only ingredient listed.

 

_‘Perhaps I could add a medley of foliage next time….maybe it will taste different too.’_

 

Below the ingredients, a small sentence was listed.

 

_“One Food Bar will suppress hunger and meet daily intake requirements for up to six hours.”_

 

These things didn’t mess around. Shrugging the fine print off, they finally opened the food bar itself out of the wrapper. It was a weird yellow like color and quite firm to the touch. If Delta hadn’t seen the plants go in themselves, they would’ve thought it was an over processed to hell candy bar. 

 

Breaking off a piece of the corner, it snapped off easily instead of crumble. Delta promptly popped it into their mouth for a taste.

 

‘crunch crunch….’

 

“Woah, what the hell! This is amazing!” Delta exclaimed, tearing off the rest of the wrapper from the food bar itself.

 

Making quick work of the food bar, Delta took note of the medley of flavors they tasted from such a simple synthesis. The blend of something savory mixed with a sweet mixture. It was otherworldly in a way but, it left Delta satisfied. If this is what they had to eat for the rest of their lives, even with the prospect of different flavors after mixing products, that would be fine.

 

At the bottom of the food machine was a slot to place waste such as the wrapper or uneaten food. Putting the wrapper in the slot rewarded Delta with a view of the waste being melted down and caught in a bottom tray.

 

“Hmm…” Delta said with raised eyebrows.

 

Baykop entered from the East hallway just then, witnessing Delta hunched over the machine, chewing lightly on the last bite of their Food Bar.

 

“Eating?” Baykop observed as they rounded the space to reach the small table in the corner. They snagged a Food Bar from the small pile placed by Delta earlier.

 

“Hmm, yeah.” Delta looked over to Baykop then, seeing that they had a bar in their hands.

 

“Hey…” Delta started.

 

Baykop looked over then, already having half of the bar unwrapped.

 

“How….are you gonna…” Delta was stammering through their words. Baykop slowly looked back to the Food Bar, getting the hint.

 

“Oh, aha! See this?” Baykop pointed to the rectangle node under their bottom LED screen.

 

“Don’t tell me that opens up!” Delta yelled, giving full attention to Baykop at this point.

 

“Yes, this is how I eat physical food regularly.” Baykop brought the Food Bar up to their mouth before pausing for a moment. Delta was still staring at them intently, watching in curiosity.

 

Lowering the Food Bar, Baykop stared back, the LED light slowly fading to a blank white.

 

“No.” Baykop deadpanned.

 

“Come on! Just once! Only one time and I’ll never bother you about it again!” Delta begged.

Baykop continued to stare into Delta’s soul. A stalemate was reached but Delta was adamant to find out how this all went down.

 

“Baykop, if you let me see this I’ll let you do whatever you want to me!” Delta said innocently.

 

The LED light began to blip in a multi color of blue and green. Their head twitching in excitement for a split second.

 

“Do you mean that?” Baykop asked, the baritone voice returning.

 

Sensing the mistake they most likely made, but too curious to take it back, Delta wiped the grin off their face in return for a flat one. Not wanting to go back on their promise for a more than likely once in a lifetime thing, Delta nodded their head to silently agree.

 

Not taking their line of sight away from Delta, Baykop tore the rest of the wrapper away from the food bar. Standing up, they took a couple steps as to be completely face to face with one another. Delta felt their face become hot as the only sounds they could her were the clicking and whirring of the internal electronics inside Baykop’s visor.

 

Even though Delta was about to witness something unseen, they found out another fact waywardly. As they were mere inches from each other’s faces, a steady stream of air lightly blew on their face in a rhythmic style of breathing. Logging it in the back of their head for later, Delta wrote it off as a way the Korvax just circulated air through their bodies.

 

Suddenly, the rectangle node lowered, leaving a rather silly looking hole filled with rotating grinders inside. Baykop inserted the Food Bar normally, letting it slide inside to be processed internally. Within a matter of seconds, the Food bar was gone, the moment somehow even more tense than before.

 

The Node closed just as fast as it opened, the robotic breathing seemed to increase in force as the LED lights changed to a deep red again.

 

“I am very interested in doing a quick controlled experiment for a thesis proposed some thirty years ago. Back then, there was a very scarce amount of Humans, many of which were not… willing to work with Korvax Entities.” The tone of voice Baykop was using shot goosebumps through Delta’s skin. They were terrified.

 

“I will prepare my equipment for this quick experiment. I don’t want to lose any data. I will keep you posted.” Baykop finished, the LED light moving back to a soft blue.

 

As Delta stood there, terrified and dumbfounded; Baykop moved past them to exit the room.

 

“I am retiring for the night, you should do the same. Once trade is established, it will continue like this for a long time.” Baykop idly said on their way out, the normal monotone voice retuning.

 

“U-uh yeah. Sure Baykop, g’night.” Delta stammered, waving lightly at them as the Korvax say their way out.

 

Delta stood in the same spot for a while before taking a seat for themselves. The way Baykop spoke to them was absolutely terrifying. Delta tried to think of a way to get themselves out of the situation they were in but, a promise is a promise.

 

If Delta wasn’t careful, this could be ugly. Who knows how deprived the Korvax were for information about Humans. This could’ve all been a trick from the beginning to get close to a Human for this very moment…

 

“I’m over reacting…” Delta told themselves.

 

Promptly standing up, they walked over to their quarters. Locking the door, they disrobed and climbed into the bed, getting under the covers. Taking one last look outside of the windows, the frost storm still raged on, ice covering the windows. Needing something to take their mind off their racing thought, Delta kept the windows open to watch the falling hail as they fell asleep.

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

As soon as the alarm hit Global Standard 5:00 a.m., Delta pushed themselves to jump out of bed. Grabbing a fresh new set of clothing, they walked out of the room ready to start the day.

 

The events of last night were mostly cleared from their mind as they passed by the Science Terminal room. Baykop was already sitting in their chair.

 

Hearing Delta walk by, Baykop spun around to meet their gaze. This caused Delta to stop in their tracks in another poor bout of curiosity.

 

“Delta, please come here.” The tone of voice Baykop used was rather urgent.

 

Completely engrossed now, Delta made a beeline to Baykop’s terminal. Images and boxes of text were pulled up on their handheld tablet. It was all in the written Korvax language, the likes of which they still couldn’t understand.

 

“Delta, please. I’m going to need your help.” Baykop was flicking though many messages popping up on their tablet, practically frantic.

 

Turning to Delta, whom of which was standing at complete attention at this point, Baykop stood up from their chair and grasped their shoulder with a firm hand.

 

“Here on this Planet, about three hours away…one of our outposts was attacked.” Baykop relayed.

 

This was sudden. So many things about the Korvax Delta thought they knew seemed to be shattered every coming day. Taking the moment seriously, Delta nodded firmly.

 

“I’m here for you, what do you need.” Delta said, a determined look in their eyes.

 

“I need you to go to the site. While I’m here, I can pass on information to fellow Korvax Entities. We’ll weed out the culprit.” Baykop turned back to their terminal, picking up the tablet.

 

“I’ll put the location on your waypoint map. Just board your ship and follow the marker.” Turning back to Delta, the Human noticed that Baykop’s LED lights were blinking different colors at an alarming rate.

 

“Baykop, Baykop!” Grasping the Korvax’s shoulders firmly, the Korvax stopped rambling about instruction to look back into Delta’s eyes. The Korvax’s chest was rising and falling drastically. They were practically in a state of panic.

 

“Listen, I’ll shut down trade all day today to help you, you won’t do this alone. I’ll suit up right now. Just keep me informed about any news of the culprit.” Delta said releasing their hands from Baykop’s shoulders.

 

“I’ll send photos from my tablet to yours for further information. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” Delta finished, walking out of the door.

 

“Delta!” Baykop yelled back to them.

 

Not saying anything, but turning back to Baykop regardless, the Korvax just nodded their head.

 

“Please be careful. Come back safe.” The voice was sincere.

 

“I will, keep the doors locked for now in the meantime.” Delta said and raced out the door.

 

Grabbing their helmet, they donned the headgear and rushed out the door towards the ship. It didn’t take long to initiate launch and get into the air. 

 

Just as Baykop promised, a bright red waypoint in the shape of a building was listed in a southern position. Three hours away with regular jet propulsion.

 

“Arrgh, I won’t get there fast enough for Baykop.” Making a sudden decision, Delta gunned it for the outer atmosphere. Once out of orbit, they hit the Warp Reactor.

 

The force was the same as last time except this time Delta knew what to expect. The time cut from three hour to less than twenty seconds. The sickening feeling of vertigo as they reentered the atmosphere to the surface was horrible. Just as the Warp Reactor cut out, Delta already felt the need to vomit.

 

Even from this distance, Delta saw the smoke bellowing from a small pod like base. It was longer than Delta’s round like one. More damaged too, from the looks of it. Delta took the time to land a good distance from the base as to not rouse too much attention to themselves. They didn’t know is anyone else was still inside.

 

Delta felt pretty naked without anything to protect themselves. All they had on them were their tablet. Approaching the base, Delta connected a quick link video call with Baykop, the screen showing up on the inside of Delta’s helmet.

Delta kept walking towards the entrance as they waited for Baykop to answer. After a couple of rings, the screen switched to Baykop’s visor. From the view, it seemed like Baykop had their tablet propped up on a standing charger. Delta could see them typing quickly before turning back to look into the camera.

 

“What is it, what’s happening?” Baykop quickly said before looking around the receiving end of the video feed.

 

“What is all of that? Is that smoke?” Baykop added, their visor seemingly getting closer.

 

“I just arrived, Baykop, I don’t know what’s going on yet.” Delta said reaching the front doors.

 

The feint smell of burning debris was filling the air. From the corner of their eye, Delta could see Baykop looking frantically in every angle. It was like they were looking for any answer the video feed could give them.

 

“This place is completely destroyed. Looks like the central core was destroyed, leading to an explosion.” Delta surmised. Looking around, there were tons of destroyed technology spilled on the floor.

 

Delta took their time to walk around anything aflame or sharp on the ground as they made their way past the main lobby. Reaching a hallway, the door at the end was blown open. Leaving only the automatic hinges constantly trying to open in close in a faulty manner. Walking quickly, Delta saw the body of a Korvax Entity laying on the floor.

 

“There’s a Korvax here!” Delta exclaimed loudly as Baykop was inches from the screen.

 

Reaching the fallen Korvax, Delta turned their body over to find their rectangular screen filled with red static, only fading to black for a split second every so often to return back to the red.

 

“Hello! Hello! A-ariins! Neu ludo hekovrop?!” Delta pleaded with the Korvax to say something.

 

The Korvax in question only spilled a jumble of static and loud noises from their helmet. Nothing phonetically close to the Korvax language.

 

“Ariins! Ariins! Please!” In a fit of panic, Delta lightly shook the fallen Korvax, only to be rewarded with a completely blank screen. The rising and falling of their chest stopping.

 

“Baykop…I don’t…” Delta was lost for words. Witnessing their first death of a life form before their eyes and in their arms.

 

“Delta… can you please do one last thing before you leave.” Baykop’s voice was low, they sounded extremely sad.

 

“Please locate the back module of the Entities casing. There should be a connection to their spinal connectors under their neck.”

 

Carefully placing the dead Korvax on the ground, they unceremoniously flipped them over, finding the exposed spinal connectors. At the base of the neck were two buttons. Pressing them firmly, the connectors broke apart and released, opening the back of the casing.

 

Inside were a collection of organized wires and non blinking lights. In the middle of all of this wiring was a dimly lit blue cube, pulsing in the smoky darkness of the destroyed room.

 

“Yes, that. The Convergence Cube. It’s still here. Please retrieve it.” Baykop requested as calmly as they could.

 

Delta reached in and gripped the cube. It wasn’t warm, but it wasn't cold either. It felt like a human, warm to the touch but becoming colder as time droned on. It snapped out of its holdings with a pop. The Korvax didn’t make any movements, completely lifeless.

 

“I’ve got it, Baykop.” Delta said in a somber tone.

 

“The culprit was a fool to leave a Convergence Cube in a Korvax. If we’re lucky, this Entity has seen the face of who ever did this. I will search their memories through this cube.” Baykop stated.

 

Delta got up off the floor and carried the cube with them to the entrance. The blue grass around the base was charred from the falling fiery debris. Delta made their way back to their ship, not looking forward to the somber ride back home.

 

After getting back into the air, the Convergence Cube rested snugly in their lap, Delta looked over to Baykop on their video screen.

 

“Baykop, I’m so sorry. I didn't realize terrorism was a reality here.” Delta said softly.

 

“It normally isn’t. That’s why this is a weird incident.” Baykop said with a flat tone. Both of them fell quiet for a second.

 

“It’s also worrying why the Sentinels were not in a defensive mode around that facility. Not one Sentinel was surveying the area. That means someone was tampering with them.” Baykop surmised.

 

Delta nodded their head in agreement. The floating robot like guardians on the planet that scanned everything in sight weren’t even in view the entire time Delta was surveying the base. Thinking back on it, Delta found it weird as well.

 

“There are too many questions and not enough answers. Let’s just hope that this Entity had seen enough to place a conviction.” Baykop said.

 

“Well, I’m on my way now, I’ll boost though the outer atmosphere and be back to base in a few minutes.” Delta stated, tapping a few things on the HUD to place a waypoint back to base.

 

“Okay, I’ll meet with you soon.” Baykop finished and then signed off from the call.

 

 

 

 

*****

 

 

 

Delta practically ran into the Base doors after unlocking them. Finding Baykop in their chair still as they rounded the hallway to the Science Terminal room. Once seeing Delta, Baykop launched from their chair to meet with them. The LED lights were locked with a bright red color.

 

 “Here, Baykop.” Delta said through deep breaths from their quick run.

 

Taking the Convergence Cube from Delta, Baykop swiftly turned back to their terminal and slotted it into a square like crevice. A separate screen to the left popped up automatically. Unknown words and an empty bar akin to a downloading prompt appeared. After a few seconds, Baykop lowered their head in a sign of defeat.

 

“Well, the good news is we have the cube. We will get the answers we seek if we’re lucky.” Baykop said.

 

“Whats the bad news, then.” Delta quietly asked.

 

“This Korvax Entity lived for a very….very long time. This Cube is filled with it’s memories, downloaded information, thoughts, thesis, notes, you name it.” Baykop looked back to the downloading bar.

 

“It’s going to be a bit, isn't it?” Delta said with the same tone of defeat as Baykop.

 

“It will take a month to download the entire cache of data locked in this cube.” Baykop deadpanned once again.

 

The room fell silent. The quiet hum of the terminal mixed with the still empty downloading bar made for a somber feeling. Baykop suddenly got up from their chair and walked down the hallway, pushing past Delta. They were mumbling words in their native language in a frustrated tone as they walked the path towards the rec room.

 

Delta knew this was a frustrating time for Baykop, they didn’t know if they should bother them in this moment. Taking one more look at the download bar, still empty, Delta turned back to leave the room as well.

 

Delta, at least, had to pass by the rec room on the way to their own room. Baykop was sitting at the table, their head in their hands. Delta paused for a moment before deciding what to do. Unzipping the front of their jumpsuit and slipping their arms from the sleeves, Delta tied the sleeves at the waist before pushing some strands of hair back from their forehead.

 

Taking a deep breath, Delta entered the room to meet with Baykop, intent on comforting their friend.

 

“Baykop…” Delta started, finding the seat next to the Korvax.

“I can’t begin to understand why this would happen in a Neutral System.” Baykop started, their head still in their hands, “Most of the pirates tend to operate towards the middle of the Galaxy, not the edge. There’s nothing out here.”

 

Baykop seemed to be talking to themselves if it weren’t for the English.

 

“Baykop.” Delta said again, trying to get the Korvax’s attention.

 

Baykop rose their head to look at Delta, the Human in question looking back at them with piercing eyes.

 

“Whatever happens, I’m with you. You won’t do this alone.” Delta was trying their hardest to sound as sincere as they could.

 

Placing their hands on the table and sitting back in their chair, Baykop just looked on at Delta.

 

“Even if we find out who it is, we’ll have no one to turn them over to. The only Entity I can think of would be Convergence Entities and all they would do would be to render them immobile.” Baykop said.

 

“Sounds like punishment too me. After what we just witnessed.” Delta said, crossing their arms.

 

“Yes but, we would never get any answers why they did what they did, how they did it. For what purpose….” Baykop sat forward again.

 

“We need to know all of the facts before we can implement further protection. We don’t even know if they will attack our base as well.” Baykop finished.

 

They both sat at the table, defeated. Baykop eventually laid her visor back down onto the table, overloaded with fabricated theories, none with a factual bias. Getting up from their chair, Delta walked over to Baykop and tugged on their arm, prompting them to get up.

 

Acting confused but accepting the action, Baykop stood up and looked at Delta.

 

“I don’t have any answers and we have a long time until we get any sort of concrete evidence but, I think now is a good time to try and clear our heads before going on.” Delta adjusted the collar of Baykop’s black jacket suit, wiping off the dust settled on top. baykop kept their gaze steady on Delta’s face, the Human trying not to let it get to their nerves.

 

“Help me water the plants outside, small tasks like this help clear your mind.” Delta offered.

 

Looking back down to the table one last time, Baykop then looked back to Delta and nodded their head in agreement.

 

Taking the sort walk outside and into the adjacent box shelter holding the food and fuel sources, Delta switched on the lights to view the growing crops. These plants grew quickly, to say the least.

 

“I’d say you have a couple of days before we have a steady source of Thaunium-9.” Baykop added as they walked into the room with Delta.

 

“Yeah, these things grow pretty quickly. Easier on us, though.” Delta said, elbowing Baykop in the rib area in an attempt to lessen the atmosphere.

 

Both of them took a watering can, already filled with melted collected water from the ice storm the night before. Making their rounds, they watered the plants in a quiet manner. It wasn’t what Delta really hand in mind, wanting to talk with Baykop a little bit while they finished the chore. I guess they couldn't really complain since Delta didn’t think Baykop would agree to help or come with them at all.

 

“I know it hasn’t been long but, how do you feel?” Delta asked softly. They felt being overtly positive would discredit Baykop’s feelings.

 

“The same as before. If not, worse…” Baykop said, silently watering a Fuel Source plant.

 

Sighing in light frustration, Delta continued to water the plants, at a loss for ideas.

 

Returning to the Base, the Local Star was lowering in the sky. The events of today eating away the hours so quickly, Delta and Baykop didn’t even notice. As the frost started to collect on the edges of the windows and the wind kicked up more than before, Delta took the time to switch on the central heating for the base.

 

“I’m sorry that didn’t help you at all. I honestly don’t know what to do. I know you’re grieving…”

 

“I’m not grieving at the loss of the fallen Korvax. I am enraged at the fact this happened with no evidence to show for it.” Baykop exclaimed.

 

Delta froze in their tracks.

 

“Korvax like me can be assembled at any time, within the span of seconds, a Korvax can be created and know just as much as I with the right downloaded information. We are a species of intelligence.” Baykop stood in one spot, seemingly staring at the wall, with a fist clenched in extreme frustration.

 

“But, in the end, that’s all we are. Without the right information ,we are lost to unchecked thought. Without proof, what are we?” It sounded like nonsense. Baykop was feeling at their absolute lowest.

 

Walking up to Baykop, Delta offered another hand to their shoulder.

 

“You know, Humans are pretty much the same. If not, it’s worse because things we can learn, we can forget without even knowing it.” Delta offered. Baykop didn’t move from their spot.

 

“I can’t offer much but I do know that we have a good start with the Cube I brought back. It was a good call to get me to grab it. So…don’t feel too bad, okay?”

 

Baykop turned to look at Delta, then looked away. Was this a sign of embarrassment? Delta wanted to remember the body language for later but decided to leave it for now.

 

“C’mere.” Delta suddenly said, Brain going into auto drive.

 

Before Delta could even comprehend what the hell they were doing, they pulled Baykop closer to themselves. Even more asinine, Baykop let Delta go through with the beginning of the hug. Within the span of a full second, Delta had their arms wrapped around Baykop’s arms, patting the Korvax’s back a couple of times before just continuing the hug.

 

“What is happening?” Baykop simply asked.

 

“Uh, I’m hugging you. This would calm me down…” Delta said.

 

Sensing the atmosphere, Delta pulled away. Looking away from Baykop’s blank face, a small blush crept up on their face in embarrassment. 

 

Baykop saw the redness arise on Delta’s cheeks, a medley of lights flickered through their LED screens.

 

“You are becoming ill?” Baykop asked.

 

“Huh? Oh, no it’s just I didn’t think before I acted…you didn’t seem to enjoy the hug.” Delta said, doing a half assed attempt t cover their face.

 

“Enjoy…” Baykop tried to fish though the Korvax language for a matching word, not finding one.

 

“I won't do it again, I’ll let you be for the night.” Delta apologized, wanting to let Baykop be for the time being.

 

Walking past the Korvax, Delta felt a sudden tug on their arm. Looking at the sensation, they saw Baykop holding the Human in place.

 

“Uhh, Baykop…”

 

The rest of Delta’s future words were cut off as Baykop pulled Delta back into a tight hug, the Korvax’s arms enveloping Delta’s this time around. Delta went stiff in a moment of fear. Even though they knew hugging calmed the heart rate and brought calm to Humans, unexpected it was rather daunting.

 

“There is no word for ‘enjoy’ in the Korvax language. We don’t embrace like this, but…” As Baykop spoke, Delta finally loosened their shoulders and enveloped Baykop in the hug as well.

 

“Something about this is…nice.” The words were a whisper in Delta’s ear, making the hair on the back of their neck stand up.

 

Over the course of a couple seconds, the pair just hugged. The grip of their arms tightening around each other. After some time, Delta calmed down, giving into the hug. They closed their eyes as the rhythmic breathing from Baykop blew past their ear.

Taken aback for a second and almost falling forward, Baykop pulled away from the hug.

 

“Thank you, Delta. I learned something new about Human behavior. Maybe we can experience this again later.”

 

“Yeah, no problem. Anytime.” Delta quickly said, avoiding Baykop’s gaze as much as they could.

 

“Anytime, I will remember that. I am retiring for now. You get some sleep as well. Even though this was an unfortunate day, we must continue trade tomorrow.” Baykop said, making their way out the door.

 

“Goodnight.” Delta said to the retreating Korvax.

 

The Korvax in question waved behind them as they finally disappeared to their room.

 

Walking to their own room, Delta collapsed onto their bed, exhausted.

 

As they lazily shed the jumpsuit and crawled under the covers, the thought of embracing Baykop was still fresh in their mind. The central heating hadn't kicked in yet and the room was still a bit chilly. Bringing their hands to their face to warm them, the feint smell of the leather from Baykop’s jacket lingered on their fingers.

 

A heavy feeling swelled in their throat. A warm feeling in their chest.

 

A worrying one in the back of their mind as they drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [I sampled the facts of the "Food Bar" made by Soylent. As I was researching the product, I found out that they recalled it due to people becoming ill! Scary!]
> 
> [This is the beginning of Delta and Baykop's relationship. Chapters from here on out will feature more and more physical attention in one way or another as Delta tries to understand their feelings.]


End file.
